What is the specific problem Hospitality Rising is trying to solve?

According to Slide 1, the company aims to 'solve the recruitment crisis forever' within the hospitality sector. The deck uses a visual of a massive stack of CVs (Slide 8) and a terrified Lisa Simpson (Slide 2) to illustrate the overwhelming and painful nature of current industry recruitment challenges, suggesting that the current system is broken and requires a radical, creative-led overhaul.

Who is the target audience for this campaign?

The deck identifies two primary groups. Slide 5 states the solution is for 'the more extroverted (of all ages),' while Slide 6 introduces the 'Live Fast. Work Young' tone of voice, suggesting a heavy emphasis on Gen Z and younger Millennials who value social interaction and a fast-paced environment over traditional office or call center roles.

How does the team differentiate this project from other recruitment platforms?

Unlike most HR-tech startups led by engineers, this team (Slide 9) is composed of advertising and behavioral science elites. It includes the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, the International CEO of VCCP, and specialists in behavioral science and brand strategy. This suggests the 'product' is a sophisticated marketing campaign rather than a software tool.

What is the 'Live Fast. Work Young' strategy?

As shown on Slide 6, this is the campaign's 'Tone of Voice.' It uses aggressive, high-contrast black-and-white posters with slogans like 'Always be on the frontline of the fun' and 'No one ever stayed for a lock in at a call centre.' It positions hospitality as a lifestyle choice characterized by social excitement and immediate gratification.

What metrics are used to define success in this deck?

The provided slides are light on financial metrics but heavy on reach. Slide 7 prominently displays '5 Million,' likely referring to a target reach or impressions for the campaign. The deck focuses on 'Investor Return On Investment' (Slide 9 header) through the lens of solving a macro-industry problem rather than individual company profitability.

Hospitality Rising Pitch Deck (2021): 61-Slide Breakdown

See all 61 slides of the Hospitality Rising pitch deck — a 2021 deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Hospitality Rising is not a traditional tech startup, but a collaborative industry campaign designed to solve the recruitment crisis through a massive, unified branding effort. The deck, dated October 2021, emphasizes a 'creative-led' solution rather than a software-based one. It leans heavily on emotional resonance and cultural relevance, using pop-culture imagery (The Simpsons, The Avengers) to illustrate the current 'pain' and the 'heroic' effort required to fix it. The team is a standout feature, comprising heavyweights from the UK advertising world, including the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy.…

Key takeaways

The primary value proposition is 'Solving the recruitment crisis forever' through industry-wide rebranding (Slide 1).
The deck uses high-impact, non-traditional imagery like The Simpsons and Marvel's Avengers to communicate industry sentiment and scale (Slides 2, 4).
A core focus is placed on the 'extroverted' demographic across all ages as the primary recruitment target (Slide 5).
The 'Live Fast. Work Young' tone of voice explicitly positions hospitality against corporate alternatives like call centers (Slide 6).
The campaign targets a massive reach, evidenced by a slide featuring '5 Million' in bold neon text (Slide 7).
The team slide is exceptionally strong, featuring leadership from top-tier agencies like VCCP and Ogilvy, including Rory Sutherland (Slide 9).
The deck identifies the 'CV mountain' as a visual metaphor for the current inefficient state of hiring (Slide 8).
The initiative is structured as a creative campaign, with roles like 'Global Head of Behavioural Science' and 'Brand Strategist' (Slide 9).

The Vision: A Creative Solution to a Labor Crisis

Hospitality Rising enters the market not as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, but as a collective industry response to a systemic failure. The deck, titled "Hospitality Rising Pitch Deck 2022" (though internal headers on Slide 9 mention October 2021), sets a bold stage. The opening slide (Slide 1) declares the mission: "Solving the recruitment crisis forever." This is a high-stakes claim that shifts the focus from incremental improvement to total industry transformation.

Slides 1-4: Establishing the Emotional Context

The first few slides of this deck are unconventional for a business presentation. Slide 2 features a still from The Simpsons showing a terrified Lisa Simpson facing a dental drill. This is a classic use of visual metaphor to describe the "pain" of the current recruitment landscape. It signals that the founders understand the visceral frustration of hospitality operators.

Slide 3 shows a vintage Skoda, likely representing the outdated, slow, and perhaps unreliable nature of current recruitment methods. This is immediately contrasted by Slide 4, which features a promotional image of The Avengers . The juxtaposition is clear: the industry is currently using "Skoda-level" tools to fight a battle that requires a "superhero" collective. This sets the narrative that no single restaurant or hotel can solve this alone; it requires an assembly of industry giants.

Slides 5-7: The Strategy and Demographic Focus

Slide 5 narrows the target demographic: "And it's also true for the more extroverted (of all ages)." This is a key strategic insight. Instead of targeting everyone, the campaign focuses on personality types that thrive in hospitality. By acknowledging "all ages," they avoid the trap of ageism while still maintaining a youthful energy.

Slide 6, titled "LIVE FAST. WORK YOUNG (TONE OF VOICE)," is the most critical slide for understanding the campaign's execution. It showcases three mock-up posters. The copy is sharp and adversarial toward other low-barrier-to-entry jobs: "No one ever stayed for a lock in at a call centre." This positions hospitality as the "fun" alternative to the drudgery of corporate service roles. The branding is minimalist, high-contrast, and designed to stand out in urban environments.

Slide 7 features two young women in a neon-lit setting with the text "5 MILLION." While the slide doesn't explicitly define this number, in the context of a 61-slide deck, this likely refers to the projected reach of the campaign or the number of individuals the campaign needs to influence to stabilize the UK hospitality workforce.

Slides 8-9: The Problem Metaphor and The Powerhouse Team

Slide 8 returns to the problem with a minimalist illustration of a businessman looking up at a towering stack of CVs. This represents the inefficiency of the current process—too much noise, not enough quality, and a process that is physically and mentally overwhelming for managers.

Slide 9 is the "Creative Team Behind the Adverts." This is arguably the strongest slide in the deck. The roster includes:

Julian Douglas: IPA President and Vice Chairman of VCCP. · Rory Sutherland: Vice Chairman of Ogilvy (a world-renowned figure in behavioral economics). · Sam Tatam: Global Head of Behavioural Science at Ogilvy. · Matt Waksman: Ex-Recruitment Strategist for the Army.

The inclusion of an Army recruitment strategist is a subtle but powerful detail. It suggests the team isn't just making "pretty ads," but is applying proven psychological tactics used in high-volume, high-stakes national recruitment drives. The team is split between VCCP, Ogilvy, Forever Beta, and The Fourth Angel, representing a massive consolidation of UK creative talent.

What Works in This Deck

1. Narrative Momentum: The deck uses a "Storybrand" approach. It identifies a villain (the recruitment crisis/the call center), a victim (the overwhelmed manager/the bored youth), and a guide (the elite creative team). By the time you reach the team slide, the need for their specific expertise feels earned.

2. Bold Branding: The "Live Fast. Work Young" aesthetic is a departure from the typical "we are a family" tropes used in hospitality hiring. It feels authentic to the actual experience of working in a busy bar or restaurant—it's hard, fast, and social.

3. The "Avengers" Team: For an industry-wide initiative, credibility is everything. Having Rory Sutherland and Julian Douglas attached to the project gives it immediate weight. It moves the project from a "nice to have" marketing campaign to a serious behavioral science intervention.

What Is Missing

1. The Financial Ask: In the 9 slides provided, there is no mention of the budget required to execute a campaign of this scale. A "5 Million" reach suggests a multi-million pound media spend, but the source of these funds (government, industry levy, or private investment) is not detailed here.

2. Success Metrics: While the deck mentions "ROI" in the header of Slide 9, it doesn't define what a successful ROI looks like. Is it a percentage reduction in vacancies? A decrease in churn? A specific number of new entrants to the sector?

3. The Digital Infrastructure: The deck focuses heavily on the "top of the funnel" (awareness and branding). It does not show how these candidates are actually processed. If the problem is a "CV mountain" (Slide 8), how does this campaign help filter or manage that mountain? Without a tech solution to match the creative solution, the campaign risks just creating a larger mountain of CVs.

Founder's Guide: What to Copy

Use Visual Metaphors: If your industry is in pain, don't just show a graph of declining revenue. Use imagery that evokes the feeling of that pain. The Simpsons and the CV mountain slides are memorable because they are relatable.

Define Your Tone of Voice Early: Hospitality Rising doesn't just say they will do marketing; they show exactly what that marketing will look like. Founders should include "mood boards" or mock-ups of their brand in the wild to help investors visualize the end product.

Leverage Authority: If you have high-profile advisors or partners, don't hide them in a tiny grid at the end. Hospitality Rising gives their creative team top billing, recognizing that in a service-based project, the people are the product.

Final Analysis

Hospitality Rising is a masterclass in movement-based pitching . It isn't trying to sell a tool; it's trying to sell a solution to a cultural problem. The deck succeeds in making the recruitment crisis feel like a battle that can be won through superior messaging and behavioral science. However, for a traditional venture capitalist, the lack of clear unit economics and a scalable technology moat might be a hurdle. This deck is best suited for industry stakeholders and institutional partners who benefit from the collective health of the hospitality ecosystem.

Frequently asked questions

What is the specific problem Hospitality Rising is trying to solve?: According to Slide 1, the company aims to 'solve the recruitment crisis forever' within the hospitality sector. The deck uses a visual of a massive stack of CVs (Slide 8) and a terrified Lisa Simpson (Slide 2) to illustrate the overwhelming and painful nature of current industry recruitment challenges, suggesting that the current system is broken and requires a radical, creative-led overhaul.
Who is the target audience for this campaign?: The deck identifies two primary groups. Slide 5 states the solution is for 'the more extroverted (of all ages),' while Slide 6 introduces the 'Live Fast. Work Young' tone of voice, suggesting a heavy emphasis on Gen Z and younger Millennials who value social interaction and a fast-paced environment over traditional office or call center roles.
How does the team differentiate this project from other recruitment platforms?: Unlike most HR-tech startups led by engineers, this team (Slide 9) is composed of advertising and behavioral science elites. It includes the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, the International CEO of VCCP, and specialists in behavioral science and brand strategy. This suggests the 'product' is a sophisticated marketing campaign rather than a software tool.
What is the 'Live Fast. Work Young' strategy?: As shown on Slide 6, this is the campaign's 'Tone of Voice.' It uses aggressive, high-contrast black-and-white posters with slogans like 'Always be on the frontline of the fun' and 'No one ever stayed for a lock in at a call centre.' It positions hospitality as a lifestyle choice characterized by social excitement and immediate gratification.
What metrics are used to define success in this deck?: The provided slides are light on financial metrics but heavy on reach. Slide 7 prominently displays '5 Million,' likely referring to a target reach or impressions for the campaign. The deck focuses on 'Investor Return On Investment' (Slide 9 header) through the lens of solving a macro-industry problem rather than individual company profitability.

Cover slide of the Hospitality Rising pitch deck — 2021 — Hospitality Rising pitch deck, slide 1 (2021)

Hospitality Rising pitch deck: the facts

Company: Hospitality Rising
Year: 2021/2022
Stage: Growth / Industry Initiative
Slides: 61
Sector: Recruitment / Hospitality
Deck type: Investor ROI / Campaign Pitch
Outcome: Active Industry Campaign
Headquarters: United Kingdom

Hospitality Rising pitch deck PDF

The full Hospitality Rising deck is embedded on this page and can be read slide by slide in the browser — no download or account required. Each slide is covered in the breakdown above.

What the Hospitality Rising pitch deck was used for

This deck is an investor / sponsor pitch for Hospitality Rising, a UK-wide collaborative recruitment and advertising campaign created to tackle the post‑pandemic staffing crisis in the hospitality sector. The initiative seeks financial commitments from hospitality operators, suppliers and sponsors, typically framed as a per‑employee pledge (e.g. £10 per employee) to build a multi‑million‑pound ‘war chest’ for a national advertising campaign. It leverages top-tier creative agencies such as VCCP, Ogilvy and others donating or discounting strategic and creative support, positioning the campaign as a marketing‑driven rebrand of hospitality careers for younger workers. This particular deck (2021/2022) represents the early‑stage fundraising push to reach a target of around £5m to launch and sustain the campaign’s first major waves of activity.

Business model: Industry-wide recruitment marketing campaign for the UK hospitality sector, funded by sponsorship and per-employee pledges from operators and suppliers.

Investors: Multiple UK hospitality operators such as Hawksmoor, Hilton, Cote, Butlins, Loungers, Wahaca, Whitbread, Pret, Soho Hous, Suppliers and sponsors including Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners, Zonal and Wireless Social acted as major financial and
Headquarters: United Kingdom (UK-wide industry initiative).
Industry: Hospitality recruitment and marketing campaign.

Round: Industry initiative / campaign funding (non‑equity, sponsorship-driven).

Year: 2021–2022 fundraising drive to fund the initial major campaign waves.

Raising: The campaign sought to raise up to £5 million from industry operators, suppliers, investors and sponsors, often framed as £10 per employee contributions.

Raised: Hospitality Rising reported raising approximately £850,000 by October 2022, with some later references to around £1m in total funding.

Total funding: Hospitality Rising reported raising approximately £850,000 by October 2022, with a broader goal of up to £5 million for the campaign.

Use of funds as presented: Funds were intended to finance a large‑scale national advertising and recruitment campaign for hospitality, including creative production, media placement across TV and digital channels, and supporting a bespoke jobs platform.

What happened after the Hospitality Rising deck

Hospitality Rising launched as an industry-backed, creatively-led recruitment campaign for UK hospitality, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds and delivering a high-profile national campaign with measurable engagement and perception shifts, but later paused operations because it could not secure sufficient ongoing funding to sustain its long-term ambitions.

Secured early pre‑launch seed funding in the range of £200,000–£350,000 and aimed to build a £5m fund via per‑employee p
Reached approximately £850,000 in total funding by October 2022, with backing from around 300 businesses including major
Launched what was described as one of the UK’s largest hospitality recruitment drives, supported by agencies such as VCC
Reported outcomes including around £1m in funding raised, hundreds of thousands of job applications, and tens of thousan
By 2024, publicly reported funding shortages led to the campaign being paused, with organisers stating that a sustained

What the Hospitality Rising deck got right

Compelling, problem-driven narrative aligned with industry crisis. The deck presents a clear, sector‑level value proposition: a coordinated national recruitment campaign to tackle the hospitality staffing crisis, framed as the ‘biggest’ such campaign in the UK and offering operators a shared solution rather than fragmented individual efforts. This framing directly addresses an urgent, widely recognised pain point for the target audience.
Strong creative partnerships and in-kind support. Hospitality Rising secured substantial pro bono and discounted support from leading creative agencies such as VCCP, Ogilvy and others via IPA initiatives, with reports citing at least £250k of donated creative strategy and concept development. This gives the deck credibility when it claims world‑class creative firepower and an ability to deliver high-impact advertising on a constrained cash budget.
Demonstrated industry buy-in and social proof. Early fundraising milestones (e.g. £200k–£350k seed funding and £850k by late 2022) and a long list of prominent operators and suppliers as backers provide concrete social proof for the deck’s claims of industry momentum. This reduces perceived risk for new contributors by showing that peers and major brands are already supporting the campaign.
Clear, easy-to-communicate funding model. The funding mechanism is simple and intuitively scalable, typically framed as a per‑employee contribution (around £10 per employee) that allows operators of different sizes to participate, while also making it easy to estimate the potential fundraising pool (e.g. £5m target). This clarity likely makes the ask more actionable for decision‑makers.
Evidence-backed impact on awareness and recruitment metrics. Subsequent reporting highlights tangible outcomes such as hundreds of thousands of job applications, significant job board activity and measurable increases in the perceived appeal of hospitality careers among target audiences. These outcomes retrospectively validate core claims in the deck that a large-scale, creative-led campaign could move the needle on recruitment and employer brand.

What could have been stronger

Reliance on voluntary industry pledges as primary funding mechanism. The deck’s funding model heavily depends on voluntary per‑employee contributions from operators and sponsors (e.g. £10 per employee), which external reports show has been challenging to sustain at the required scale, culminating in a funding shortfall and later campaign pause. This concentration on one main funding mechanism increases execution risk if industry backing wanes or macro conditions tighten.
Optimistic fundraising timeline versus actual capital raised. External coverage indicates the initiative ultimately paused due to insufficient ongoing funding, suggesting that the original deck may have under‑emphasised the difficulty of securing a sustained £1m+ per year over 5–10 years. The pitch appears optimistic about raising a £5m war chest quickly, while real‑world fundraising progressed more slowly (e.g. £850k by late 2022), highlighting a gap between targeted and realised capital.
Limited externally visible quantitative ROI modelling for contributors. While the deck emphasises creative firepower from leading agencies and a large national campaign, publicly available sources focus more on headline pledges and big‑name supporters than on granular, evidence‑based projections of cost per hire, expected vacancy reductions or other hard ROI metrics for contributors. For some sponsors, this may make it harder to evaluate the direct financial return or operational benefit of their investment beyond brand‑level outcomes.

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

The initiative positions itself as a **collective solution** to a systemic labour shortage, offering operators a way to pool resources into a single, large‑scale recruitment brand and campaign rather than fragmented, individual efforts.
Hospitality Rising has mobilised significant **in‑kind creative contributions** from major agencies such as VCCP, Ogilvy and others via IPA schemes, effectively leveraging top-tier advertising talent without fully commercial fees.
Early fundraising progress (e.g. £200k–£350k pre‑launch, ~£850k by late 2022) and a roster of recognised hospitality and supplier brands as backers indicate meaningful industry buy‑in and social proof.
Later reports document notable **campaign reach and engagement metrics** (e.g. hundreds of thousands of applications and job board views), supporting the argument that coordinated, creative-led campaigns can increase interest in hospitality roles.

Risks that stand out

The campaign’s model requires sustained, voluntary financial commitment from a wide range of operators and sponsors, and external reporting shows that when funding fell short, the initiative had to be paused, demonstrating **high sensitivity to fundraising volatility**.
Ambitious long‑term targets (e.g. £5m war chest and £1m+ per year over 5–10 years) may be difficult to meet consistently, especially as macroeconomic pressures and sector‑specific challenges affect contributors’ marketing and HR budgets.
As a collaborative industry initiative rather than a conventional equity‑backed startup, there may be limited or non‑traditional financial returns for contributors, which could reduce long‑term willingness to fund the campaign once the initial urgency of the staffing crisis subsides.
High reliance on donated or heavily discounted agency support and goodwill (e.g. £250k+ of pro bono creative) introduces execution risk if agency partners’ priorities change or if pro bono arrangements cannot be renewed at the same level over time.

Questions this deck invites

How exactly are funds from industry pledges allocated across media, creative, operations and technology, and what governance structures or oversight exist to ensure efficient, transparent use of funds for contributors?
What specific, independently verifiable KPIs (e.g. cost per application, cost per hire, retention impact, perception shifts) has Hospitality Rising tracked, and how are these shared with operators and sponsors to justify continued funding?
Given that the campaign later paused due to funding shortages, what revised funding model, pricing or governance changes (if any) are being proposed to create a more resilient, long‑term structure?
How does Hospitality Rising’s jobs board and digital infrastructure integrate with existing recruitment systems used by large operators, and what evidence is there that this integration materially improves recruitment outcomes versus busine
To what extent is the campaign’s success dependent on a small number of high‑value sponsors versus a broad base of smaller contributors, and what concentration risks exist if key backers reduce or withdraw funding?

What founders can take from the Hospitality Rising deck

A highly fragmented industry problem such as a sector‑wide staffing shortage can be addressed via a **collective, brand‑level campaign** that pools resources across competitors, provided there is a compelling shared narrative and central organising body.
Leveraging **pro bono or discounted top‑tier creative talent** (e.g. via industry associations like the IPA) can significantly amplify the quality and perceived impact of a campaign without equivalent cash outlay.
Structuring contributions as a **simple per‑employee pledge** (e.g. £10 per employee) makes the funding ask easier to communicate and scale across businesses of different sizes, even if sustaining this over years remains challenging.
Building a strong coalition of recognisable **anchor sponsors and operators** creates social proof, making it easier to bring additional participants into an industry-wide initiative.
Even impactful campaigns with strong creative execution and early traction can stall without a **robust, recurring funding model**, highlighting the importance of long‑term financial planning and diversified revenue streams for industry initiatives.
Pairing a high-profile advertising campaign with a **dedicated digital jobs platform** and measurable recruitment funnel (applications, job postings, views) helps link brand‑level perception shifts to more concrete hiring outcomes.

Hospitality Rising pitch deck: common questions

What is Hospitality Rising?

Hospitality Rising is a UK-wide recruitment and marketing campaign designed to help solve the hospitality sector’s staffing crisis by running a large-scale, multi‑year advertising effort to attract new talent into hospitality roles. It acts as a central, industry-backed platform and campaign rather than a traditional recruitment agency or single company.

How is Hospitality Rising funded?

Hospitality Rising is funded primarily through sponsorship and per‑employee pledges from hospitality operators, suppliers and commercial sponsors. Many backers are asked to contribute around £10 per employee, with the early goal of creating up to a £5m fund to finance a national campaign across TV, digital and social channels.

How much money did Hospitality Rising aim to raise, and how much did it raise?

The campaign’s early targets were to raise about £5m to launch what organisers described as the biggest hospitality recruitment advertising campaign the UK has seen, with an initial milestone of around £1m in commitments and pre‑launch seed funding reported at £200,000–£350,000. By late 2022, reports indicated Hospitality Rising had raised approximately £850,000 from around 300 businesses, with a longer‑term aspiration of running a £1m+ per year campaign over 5–10 years.

Who supports or sponsors Hospitality Rising?

Hospitality Rising’s backers and partners include major hospitality operators and suppliers such as Hawksmoor, Hilton, Cote, Butlins, Loungers, Wahaca, Whitbread, Pret, Soho House, Prezzo, Revolution Bars, Claridge’s, The Pig and others. On the supplier side, it has received significant support and sponsorship from companies like Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners, hospitality tech firm Zonal and Wireless Social.

What impact has Hospitality Rising had so far, and what is its current status?

According to campaign updates, Hospitality Rising has reported metrics such as hitting around £1m in funding and generating large volumes of job applications and job postings via its bespoke jobs board, while also claiming improvements in the perceived appeal of hospitality among target demographics. However, by 2024, reports indicated the campaign was paused due to funding shortages, with organisers emphasising the need for sustained multi‑year investment to maintain impact.